* '''[[Drumnadrochit]]''' – It is a popular stop for tourists with two Loch Ness Monster exhibitions – one "official" [http://www.lochness.com/loch-ness-monster-exhibition.htm] and the other "original" [http://www.nessieland-castle-monster-centre.co.uk/].

* '''[[Drumnadrochit]]''' – It is a popular stop for tourists with two Loch Ness Monster exhibitions – one "official" [http://www.lochness.com/loch-ness-monster-exhibition.htm] and the other "original" [http://www.nessieland-castle-monster-centre.co.uk/].

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- Loch Ness exhibition center - Self-guided tour where you walk from room to room, they will show you a documetary film regarding Loch Ness and Nessy in each room. The video is dated, and nothing fascinating. Poor value to price. Adult £6.95, Children £4.95

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- Loch Ness exhibition center - Self-guided tour where you walk from room to room, they will show you a documetary film regarding Loch Ness and Nessy in each room. The video is dated, and nothing fascinating. Poor value to price. Adult £6.95, Children £4.95.

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The ruins of Urquhart Castle [http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/index/places/propertyresults/propertyoverview.htm?PropID=PL_297] are two miles away at Strone point. A 831 road leaves from here for some beautiful areas, ultimately reaching Inverness.

The ruins of Urquhart Castle [http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/index/places/propertyresults/propertyoverview.htm?PropID=PL_297] are two miles away at Strone point. A 831 road leaves from here for some beautiful areas, ultimately reaching Inverness.

Revision as of 06:19, 27 September 2012

Loch Ness is Scotland's (if not the world's) most famous lake (or 'loch' in Scotland). It runs for 23 miles (37 km) along the natural geological cleft that stretches from Fort William in the west of the Scottish Highlands, to Inverness in the north.

About a mile wide at most places it is the purported home of the Loch Ness monster, a possibly mythical creature, which dwells in the Loch and is occasionally spotted by locals and passers-by. The sightings claimed lend credence to the remote possibility of a group of survivors of the long-extinct plesiosaurs (which lived up to around 65 million years ago).

Urquhart Castle from Loch Ness

Urquhart Castle with Loch Ness in the background

Contents

Regions

The Scottish Highlands consist of a plateau dissected by glacier scoured glens (valleys), many of them containing lochs (lakes). Loch Ness, the largest body of water in UK, lies in the geological fault known as Glen Mor or Great Glen. The latter stretches for about 60 miles (97 km). The Caledonian Canal joins four lochs in the Great Glen – Dochfour, Ness, Oich and Lochy – and at each end connects to the sea. It connects to the North Sea at Inverness via the Moray Firth and the Atlantic Ocean at Corpach near Fort William. A series of lock gates in the canal helps to raise or lower ships.

Loch Ness extends from Fort Augustus at one end to Lochend near Inverness at the other. It is 740 feet (226 metres) deep at its deepest point and is the second largest Scottish loch by surface area at 21.8 sq mi (56.4 sq km). Loch Lomond is larger with an area of 71 sq km. In fact Loch Ness is not the deepest loch either. Loch Morar plunges to over 1,000ft. And it is not the longest Loch, that record goes to 34 mile Loch Awe. Loch Ness, however, owing to its steep-sided, flat-bottomed side-slip fault line origins is the largest volume of freshwater in the British Isles, containing more water than all the lakes, rivers and reservoirs of England and Wales combined ... room enough for a few mysteries. The A82 road which runs along the western bank of Loch Ness offers stunning views of the loch all along the route. Rugged hills climb steeply from the loch’s dark waters. There are many parking places along the road where vehicles can be parked and the beauty of the surroundings savoured. There are some less used roads on the eastern side of the loch. A complete circuit of the loch covers about 70 miles (110 km). Driving on these roads can be challenging if you are not used to driving on the left. It may be better to take a tour along the loch or see it by boat. See the section on tours below.

Loch Ness near Lochend

Lochend

Cities/Towns/Villages

Apart from A82 several other roads coverge on the city – A9 comes from beyond Aviemore in the south-east and then moves further north-west to Alness and beyond, A 96 comes from the north-east. Smaller roads come from other directions.

Drumnadrochit – It is a popular stop for tourists with two Loch Ness Monster exhibitions – one "official" [1] and the other "original" [2].

- Loch Ness exhibition center - Self-guided tour where you walk from room to room, they will show you a documetary film regarding Loch Ness and Nessy in each room. The video is dated, and nothing fascinating. Poor value to price. Adult £6.95, Children £4.95.

The ruins of Urquhart Castle [3] are two miles away at Strone point. A 831 road leaves from here for some beautiful areas, ultimately reaching Inverness.

Invermoriston - The valley of the River Moriston that empties itself into the loch here, over a series of rapids, is one of the most beautiful of all the highland glens. The road is lined with mature deciduous trees on both sides creating an avenue of natural beauty. A887 road takes off in the direction of the Isle of Skye. The Loch Ness Youth Hostel (part of Scottish Youth Hostels Association) is located at Alltsigh, nearby (Telephone: 01320 351274.) About two miles on the road to Fort Augustus is Invermoriston Camping and Caravan site where tourists can pitch their tents or park a caravan on the banks of the loch.

Fort Augustus – It is the largest of the loch side villages. There is a tourist office near the car park. The Hannoverians built a series of forts to secure the Great Glen: Fort George near Inverness, Fort Augustus in the heart of the Great Glen, and Fort William at the southern end.

Other destinations

Glenmoriston - The A887 takes off from Invermoriston and heads west for Glenmoristion along the River Moriston. The road links to A87 further ahead. The sheer beauty of the place is recommeded by all for a detour from the main track. One can travel even 20-25 miles inside but say around 10 miles or so could show a visitor what a place it is. About 5 miles inside is Dundreggan Loch (Dundreggan means 'the hill of the dragon'). It is an artificial lake created for hydro-electricity generation. Another 2 miles in is the Redburn Café, a great place to eat, with such ice cream concoctions as the Loch Ness Monster.

Glen Affric[4] and Glen Cannich[5] – The A831 takes off from Drumnadrochit for the remote village of Cannich, 12 miles to the west. Glen Affric and Glen Cannich are located further west. Loch Mulladroch was created as part of a hydro-electric scheme

Understand

Scotland is a sparsely populated country and only a small proportion of that population lives in the Scottish Highlands. Therefore, it is mostly barren territory. Villages in the highlands are small neat places with a lot of fighting and history behind them. It has been a battle against nature and also amongst human beings for survival and supremacy. Some interesting facts: Number of tourists visiting Scotland annually surpass the population of Scotland and the number of Scots living outside Scotland is many times more than the population of Scotland.

Talk

English is the official language of Scotland and is spoken by more or less everyone. Gaelic is spoken by about 60,000, and many Gaelic words are commonly used. The Scots, like most Britons, generally flourish when they live abroad but at home have rather poor foreign language skills, although those in tourism-related industries generally have better language skills. French, German and Spanish are the most commonly known foreign languages.

Strath = vale (Strathspey) - tends to be a more shallow, wider, often flat-bottomed valley

Kyle = narrow strait of water, sound (Kyle of Sutherland)

Loch = lake (Loch Lomond) however not all lochs are enclosed. Loch Marie is a fjord and is open to the sea. So a lake can always be a loch, but a loch is not always a lake!

Lochan = small lake, pond

Get in

You can get into the area from either Inverness in the north or from Fort William and then via Fort Augustus in the south. Both the entry points are well connected by road to all major cities in the area and beyond.

Inverness Airport [6] (Information Desk Tel: 01667 464000) is situated at Dalcross, 9 miles (15 km) east of the city, just off the main A96 trunk road. It connects to Edinburgh, London and a number of other places.

Inverness railway station is located in the City Centre. There are direct services to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and London.

A large number of tourists visit the area in coaches from Edinburgh, Fort William or Glasgow. Listed below are some of the tour operators, but do keep in mind that Loch Ness is about 150 miles form Edinburgh and Glasgow and it may be better to stay overnight in Inverness. Some of the tours below permit you to break your tour in the city of Inverness.

Megabus[7] This is not a tour, but can take you from Edinburgh or Glasgow to Inverness very inexpensively (can be as low as £1 per person depending on when you book). This is a very scenic journey through the Cairngorms especially if you are on one of their vehicles with an upper deck.

Haggis Adventures[9] Budget coach tours to the Highlands, with local Guides. 60 High Street, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh, call our crew on 0131 557 9393 or e-mail [email protected] Student and group discount available, Day tours from £25.

Get around

Ready for the Loch Ness cruise

Public transport is not the best way to see what this area has to offer. The problem is the infrequency of the buses, which are limited to the main roads. Instead, it is recommended that you hire a car, or join a tour group. Cruises on the loch leave from Dochfour, or Drumnadrochit. The best way to get to these is to use the cruise companies buses (sometimes complimentary)

See

Loch Ness Information[17] This website tackles the Loch Ness mystery in a down to earth manner and contains a lot of resources for potential visitors.

Nessie[18] or the Loch Ness Monster – Be alert! Keep your eyes wide open, look closely, and best of luck!

Urquhart Castle[19] – The most famous site in the area. The castle is in ruins but an impressive ruin with walls, four turrets and the keep. The beauty of the place coupled with its history makes it so attractive. The position of the castle at Strone Point is dramatic and commands a wide view of Loch Ness. There had been a fortress at that point from ancient times and the castle was associated with big names of Scottish history such as Saint Columba (6th century) and Robert the Bruce (12-13th century). The end came with a bang in the final years of the 17th century when it was packed with explosives and blown up to render it useless to the Jacobites. Those visiting the castle must not miss the dramatic audiovisual presentation at the centre there, certainly one of the best anywhere in the world. It is in English but depending on the composition of the tourists sub-titles are added in some other languages.

The Caledonian Canal – The staircase of locks can be seen fom the road itself as it crosses the canal at Fort Augustus and also also crosses the canal near Inverness. Each lock can raise or lower a ship 8 feet. Started in 1803 and completed in 1822 this enormous enterprise was entirely funded by the government of the day. (Caledonia was the northern part of Britain beyond Roman control, roughly correponding to present-day Scotland.)

Do

It is a place to see, eat and drink but those who desire to buy souvenirs can do so at small outlets. The new Visitor Centre at Urquhart Castle has good stocks of items for tourists. However, a place such as Fort Willaim offers a wider choice of Scottish dresses, wollenware, mementoes and of course Scotch Whisky. Most of the tour operators bringing in tourists from Edinburgh provide a lunch break at Fort William, long enough for more than just a look at the variety.

Go hiking - Loch Ness is a very popular area for walkers [20] and the Great Glen Way traverses the length of the lake.

Eat

The area being one of major tourist attraction, there is no dearth of restaurants. Breakfast is a great attraction and there is so much variety ranging from Big Scottish Breakfast to Whole Day Breakfast. A breakfast is good enough to keep one going for several hours. Food is basically meat-based. Fish is also available. Those who want to avoid both have to look for vegetable sandwiches, croissants and salads.

Drink

It is Scotland and so one need not worry about availability of drinks. Selection may pose a problem, so wide is the range available. One place boasts that it has 100 brands of single malt Scotch whisky.

Sleep

For those who wish to spend a few days in the area, there are places to stay.

Stay safe

Be prepared for the unexpected cold and the rains.

Many hotels and B&B in large European cities allow outgoing guests to keep luggage in the lobby or some room after they check out, in order that they may collect the same later in the day. Tourists should not take it for granted in Scotland. They should check the system beforehand to avoid complications later.

Get out

Most of the coach tours take tourists around the Scottish Highlands along with a visit to Loch Ness. Tourists should check what else they want to see before deciding upon a particular tour. Much of the information is available on the Internet sites (some listed above).
Those who want to travel a little farther can plan to visit one or more of the many islands.

Great Glen Way is a 73 mile long footpath from Fort William to Inverness passing along the Loch Ness. It was officially opened in 2002. It is a great venture for those who enjoy walking.

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!